Time for a talk

"Are you talking to her?"

We've all heard this phrase at some point in our lives. We've heard it, let it run through our brains, and  we kept on with our day without questioning anything. But what does it really mean?

In case you don't this phrase will come up when someone is talking about boy/girl that they might possibly go out with in the future but aren't quite at that level yet. The phase of the relationship when they are "feeling each other out."

So why do like to refer to this in such a vague way?

We do it because we are afraid of failing in anything that has to do with the opposite sex. There will always be that cop out when you fail and you say, "we weren't TALKING we were just talking." What other reason is there for a saying that has two very distinct meanings but no way at all to differentiate one meaning from the other?

So, if this isn't the write word to describe this situation what is the right way? I say that we quit beating around the bush and just tell people, "I'm trying to get with (insert name) and we are in the phase before that happens and I'm just trying not to screw it up." There are so many things that are not said when dealing with the opposite sex but are intended (I know there's a better word to use hear) and no one knows for sure what any one means. I think eventually the dating scenes will just be a bunch of people looking at each other really confused while saying very ambiguous things like, "we're just talking."

In conclusion my idea of people being up front with each other and just telling the girl/boy they like that they actually like them and are interested in a relationship will never happen, so the least I can do is come up with a new term for talking..... A "pre-lationship." 

Nice talking to ya.

-Joey